Grace E. Hirzel

Current Work:

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For my post-doc I am examining how floral traits effect pollination of several species found in family Asteraceae. Within a given flowering species there exists a wide spectrum of both floral morphology and available floral rewards (i.e. nectar and pollen). I have been documenting this intraspecific variation then observing how traits of interest affect bees' preferences for certain genotypes in the field.

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Study species:

• Annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

• Narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)

• Wholeleaf rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium)

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Dissertation Work: 

 

Environmental conditions can vary drastically throughout the year. This means the generations of animals that develop earlier in the year may have to be adapted for very different conditions than those developing later in the year. For my dissertation, I examined 1) how butterfly communities respond to seasonal change in terms of abundance and behavior, 2) how seasonal traits (morphology, behavior, and vision) correlate in wild populations of the common buckeye butterfly Junonia coenia, and 3) if development of adult color and vision respond to changes in light environment in J. coenia.

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